If Maxine had to hear one more complaint about Boston being cold, she was going to stick a silence spell on all seven of them. They were in Boston because a suspect in their latest case had fled here; and they were already scheduled to meet with Chaos Inc. "Shane, you know the meaning of silence is golden." Maxine snapped at her head hunter. "Practice it." She added.

They were sitting in the Chaos Inc lobby at the moment, herself, Shane, her adopted son, Lain as well as Jay, and the four she didn't dare leave alone in Florida. Lexine, Larkin and Vaan were sitting together on a sofa; cuddled up really. Saffron on the other hand was standing against the wall, brooding that he'd had to tag along. All four easily passed as girls, and while Lexine, Larkin and Vaan didn't mind it. The attitude came from Saffron. They were merely waiting to meet with Kay and her partners to discuss things more in-depth.

"Will you fuck off already!!" a voice growled loudly from the stairs. "I don't give a fuck, I said NO." The secretary seated behind the main desk waited for the man to appear at the top of the stairs then cleared her throat loudly and shot him a look. The tall, muscular blue haired hunter shot her a look in return and waved her off, still talking on his cell phone. "Damn it, Awen, I don’t give a flying fuck... Then go bitch at dad! Fuck... go bitch at Marilee, it was her fucking idea!"

"Oh fer fucks sake, man... we've got a lobby full o' people... try bein' professional." A second man said with a soft smirk as he appeared, earning a middle finger from the taller guy n the phone. The second man ignored him and headed straight to Maxine. "Hello. Sorry about th' giant jackass disturbin' ye. I'm Michael MacDonnell." he said with a nod to the others, then looked back at Maxine with a smirk. "Good t' see ye again, Maxie... been a few years."

Maxine snorted softly but smirked. "Good to see you too, Mike. And if that was supposed to disturb us...you obviously need to come down to Florida some time." She added, giving Shane a pointed look. She caught sight of Saffron over Mike's shoulder, he'd been eyeing the guy on the phone and she had to hope he wasn't considering dying his own hair. "You've met Shane, and Lain." Maxine said. "This is Jay," She added, nodding to the black young man who merely nodded; He looked like he'd come off the street straight from a gang, but at the same time, had a professional air about him. "And that is Vaanayla." She pointed out the blonde on the couch, whose ice blue eyes glanced up. "The redheads are Lexine and Larkin and their triplet over by the wall, Saffron."

Mike nodded to each in turn, his gaze coming back to the blonde a moment before a loud 'fuck' sounded behind him. "Th' blue haired jackass behind me would be Graves... I'm sure ye heard mention of him. Natey's already with Kay and Dominic up in th' conference room. Eire said t' apologize fer not joinin' th' meetin' but he's had a wee mishap with his truck tha' needs his attention... "

Maxine nodded, "I believe we've probably heard of Graves, in passing." She said. "Shall we head for the conference room?" She added, the three on the couch getting up and they all headed with Mike toward the conference room. Maxine stopped, with a sigh and turned in the hall, looking back. "Saffron." Saffron snapped into attention and grabbed the laptop case at his feet and took his time to catch up. Maxine shook her head and was sure she heard either Larkin or Vaan snickering softly.

By the time they'd reached the conference room, everyone else had gone ahead and Maxine waited in the door way for Saffron, who was lagging behind. "I'm aware you don't want to be in Boston, Saffron," Maxine hissed as the young man reached her, "But there was no way I was leaving you in Miami alone. And on top of that, you’re the one most familiar with the case history." She added, "Now get in there, and stop acting like a sulking child."

No sooner had everyone sat down and been introduced than the door opened and Graves leaned in, his gaze passing over the group seated at the long table until they landed on Kay. "How bad do you need me? I need to go murder my sister..."

There were several snickers before Faal cleared his throat. "Mattias... we're in the middle of a rather important briefing. Either sit down and join us... or wait." he said evenly.

Nate cleared his throat, his emerald eyes sparkling like mad. "Isn't havin' siblin's just grand, Graves?" he asked lightly.

Matt shot him a look and snorted. "Really fucking miss being an orphan..." he growled softly, but cast another look around the room before sighing heavily and taking an empty seat. "Fine. I’ll join in.. Least no one will fucking bother me in here..."

Shane and Lain both eyed Graves a moment, before ignoring him. Saffron had taken a seat that was closet to the empty seat and was taking his time on setting up the laptop. To which Maxine was drumming her nails on the table. "Azreal!" She finally snapped and Saffron looked up wide eyed.

"Just a minute." He replied, getting himself together and opened the file, before sliding the laptop toward Maxine. "It's open."

"Thank you." Maxine said dryly. "Apparently none of my team is accustomed to working in cooler weather in October." Maxine added, speaking to Kay. "Anyway. I know you've got the basics on this. Six kids murdered, although apparently… and Saffron is still looking into it, we've got possibly three more as the suspect moved up this way. The cops can't figure it out, but everything we've looked into points to werewolf." Maxine said.

"Are you sure it's a werewolf and not another type of were? There's a rather large number of were cats to the west and south of us. The warmer the climate the more their numbers close in on the wolves and we've heard of some trouble between the two groups over territory..." Kay said simply, keeping her focus on the topic and not the people... although she did notice her partners’ attentions roaming.

"Aye... an' then there's th' shifters. Although, again... more feline shifters out there then anythin', an' th' shifters I've met have been far less aggressive than Weres..." Nate added.

Maxine started to reply but it was Saffron who answered. "Forensics reports are detailing a number of the wounds that are coming off more canine then feline. In addition, Shane and Jay both were able to recover canine DNA evidence from the last two murder scenes in Florida." Saffron said.

"A number of werewolves in the south have also gone into hiding over this," Vaan put in. "They fear for their own safety as well as their packs, and as best as they can figure, this is a rogue." he added.

Mike noticed Graves’s attention was on the young man seated next to him, although whether it was due to Saffron's speaking, or the creepy energy that was radiating off the two of them he had no idea. Whatever it was, he could feel it from where he sat and by glancing at the others, he could tell they were starting to experience it as well. He cleared his throat and did his best not to rub the goose bumps on his arms. "So th' DNA showed th' lycanthrope virus, then?" he asked. "Ye know fer sure it's a rogue were an' not a shifter or some other critter usin' a wolf shape t' hunt?"

Saffron shifted computer case and took a folder out of a pocket. "That's where we're hitting a problem." He said. "The virus was showing up positive in DNA...in fact...one of the victims didn't die at the scene, but two weeks later in the hospital and was exhibiting signs of the virus. But DNA testing also turned up traces of something much more pure then the virus." He said, and looked at Maxine.

"To be honest, what also came up in the tests, struck me as a...refined version of the virus." Maxine said. "But it certainly canceled out shifters as a suspect. And hopefully shades." She added. She took the folder from Saffron and slid it across the table toward Kay and the others. "That's a collection of the forensics reports and DNA testing."

"So what you're saying is that you believe our rogue werewolf was...'specially made..?" Kay asked lightly as she took the file and looked through it.

"Lovely... like we don' have enough Pre's an' Para's out there as it is tryin' t' make a decent go of things, someone has t' do somethin' else t' fuck 'em over an' turn people against them?' Nate growled.

"Ease off, Natey. Stop takin' shite so personally." Mike said softly.

"I think we do have some one trying to...prefect things, if you will." Maxine said.

"It would explain why packs down south have cut off contact with the outside so to say," Vaan said. "We've had a nearly impossible time trying to talk to any of them about this, they're point black refusing contact with any one..." He added.

"And there are no natural occurrences to explain the purification of the virus." Lexine said rather softly. "Nothing documented in research on Weres...”

"Should we call in our own Weres on this?" Faal asked, looking to Kay.

She raised one eyebrow as she continued looking through the file. "Not sure... they might take this even more personal then Nate..." she said softly, then handed the folder to Faal. "So... Judging by the test results and what you know so far... what is your best guess..? Are we looking at an outsider trying to create their own Weres... Or a Were trying to better themselves...?"

Maxine turned her gaze on the triplets and Vaan. While she'd forbid most of them from doing the actual field work; though Saffron had a habit of slipping out to do just that; they've covered the case from the office and had been behind the boy's moves. The triplets and Vaan exchanged their own looks.

"I think the safest bet is we have a rogue trying to create the ultimate pack, so to say. Would explain why only young teens have been targeted." Saffron said.

"Are they starting from scratch and infecting norms, or re-infecting young fur balls?" Matt asked lightly from where he leaned back in his chair, his boots propped up in the table despite the dark looks from Kay.

It gave Saffron an excuse to glance that way. "I think we can safely say a bit of both. I say that, because two victims had a least one parent who themselves were, were."

"You know damned good and well, we never knew that for sure, Saffron, just what YOU were told on a night you weren't even supposed to be out of the building." Shane said.

Saffron merely ignored him. "The other victims were apparently normal..." Saffron finished.

"A DNA check on those two victims should turn up genetic markers if it were true." Kay said simply.

"Aye... an' ifn there was a problem with the test results... ye could always ask th' parents." Nate added, his gaze finding itself on the one red head.

"Problem, Matt?" Mike asked softly as he noticed Graves had tensed up, his feet back on the floor. Quite frankly the man looked like he was getting ready to hit someone, but for the life of him, Mike couldn't figure out whom.

"No... " Matt said, and then caught the look Kay was giving him and sighed. "Maybe... family shit. Forget it." he added, and Kay snorted softly.

"Graves has a couple teen age half Weres in his family, as I understand... although I wasn't aware either had shown any sign of the genes being active....?" she said, adding a curious glance at him.

Matt shot her a dark look. "They're not." he said simply.

Nate suddenly snorted softly, drawing the necromancers gaze. "Sorry... just thinkin' tha's a hell o' a family ye got there..."

Matt narrowed his gaze a bit more. "Look who's talking." he replied and Kay tapped her nails on the table, drawing their attention.

"Can the testosterone.” she said.

"DNA checks on those two victims have been nearly impossible for us to get a hold of, thanks to everything from legal problems to the bodies disappearing from the morgue." Maxine said; her gaze had gone straight to Saffron.

Saffron returned her look. "I told you, I didn't have a damned fucking thing to do with the body going missing." Saffron replied.

"And yet you were seen on the video tape at the morgue when it went missing." Shane said.

"I was there for something else." Saffron snapped, before getting up from the chair, not saying anything to anyone while leaving.

Maxine shook her head. "I have never known a more touchy death elemental." She muttered. Lexine had watched Saffron leave anxiously and looked about ready to follow.

Matt snorted softly as he watched the kid leave. "Death Elemental, huh? Explains the charge..." he said softly and Mike chuckled.

"Aye it does... fuckin' creepy. Th' two of ye need t' be kept apart... Every hair on m' arms an' neck is standin' straight up from tha' 'charge'."

Matt glanced over at him and snorted again, opening his mouth to reply when the com pinged softly before the secretary's voice sounded. "Excuse me...is Mr. Hogan in there with you?" she asked, then without waiting for a reply, carried on. "Because if he is, I need him out here. NOW."

Every eye turned to Graves and he sighed heavily. "Fuck... so much for hiding out...Ten to one it’s a family member...." he growled as he stood up and headed for the door. "Really miss the old days of NOT having family..."


~ ~

Nobody said anything until he'd left. Larkin seemed oddly amused by the whole thing and was trying not to smirk. Vaan seemed lost in thought and had grabbed the laptop case. "You have a plan...for keeping Saffron out of trouble." Vaan asked Maxine softly. "If I have to lock him up, I will." Maxine replied.

Kay smirked softly at Maxine's remark. "We can help with that... whether you just want him confined to the building... the floor... or tossed in a containment cell...” she said lightly.

Faal sighed and closed the file then at Nate's look handed it to him. "This looks disturbingly familiar to me for some reason..." he said, looking a bit distracted. "If I can have a copy of that I'd like to forward it to one of my research groups and see if it rings any bells for them. It could just be my imagination, Faal said simply. "After all... I'm not exactly 'into' the whole 'science' aspect of society..."

Mike chuckled softly and leaned to read over Nate's shoulder. "No comment, Dominic... tha's just far too easy... I'll let ye off with tha' one..."

Vaan dug into the laptop case and pulled out a cd disk in a case, and slid it across the table toward Faal. "That's a copy of the file." He said softly. "Saffron backed it up a few times, so."

"We have a suspect and as I said, he's moved up here...our tracker pegged him to the area." Maxine said.

"Yes, which is the main reason we're here. I'd prefer at least one of our people work with your team on the field when you go after him. We're more familiar with the area after all. If, however, you'd rather go on your own, I'll have to call in to the local authorities and let them know you're with us... it'll save you a lot of hassle if they come across you, and save us a lot of hassle as well." Kay said simply. "So tell us what you need and we'll do what we can... in the mean time, our people as well as Faal's, will be continuing on with the research end of it."

"I have no problem working with any of your people on this. As you said, you know the area better." Maxine replied. "And the extra help will be appreciated. The triplets and Vaan do not go out in the field. Though Saffron and Vaan have been the main...force behind getting this case moving, while Lexine and Larkin have been vital in research." Maxine added.

Kay nodded then glanced at Mike. "Then Lexine and Larkin will continue with the research. They can head up that part of it here. I'm sure Faal can put them in touch with any one and anything they need." she said and the fae nodded, still slightly distracted.

"I can see if I can pry E' away from th' remains of his truck an' th' two of us can help with th' search... " Nate suggested.

Maxine snorted softly to that with a slight smirk. It was well known that Eire was probably the best around for tracking. "I always said that nose of his could track anything." Maxine said.

"You may want to be careful with that." Larkin spoke up. "The last person to track this...werewolf and get close, turned up dead.

"Don' worry, lad." Mike said softly. "Eire's our best. He's handled far worse than yer fella I'm sure." he said and Nate snorted softly.

"Don' let him here ye boastin' about him... his head'll swell an' we'll never hear th' end of it...” he muttered softly.

"If you're splitting your group up into hunting parties, I can free up some more trackers for you..." Kay said, ignoring the brothers playful bantering.

"It probably wouldn't hurt." Maxine agreed, not failing to notice Lex and Lark looked a little troubled. And Vaan seemed completely distracted. She wasn't sure if it was the case, or coming to Boston that was the source.

Kay simply nodded. "Then let us know how many you need and whether you'd prefer Were's, shifters or magical means... or if you just want who ever I can free up." she said then added with a wicked smirk. "If you're nice, I might let you take a peek at their files before hand so you can see if they'll play nice with your people..."

Maxine smirked herself. "When have I ever been anything but nice?" She replied. She noticed Lex and Lark and Vaan fidgeting in their chairs and sighed. "Alright, you three are fidgeting enough, get out of here." She said. That was enough incentive for them to slip out of their chairs and out of the conference room.

Kay watched the three boys go and smirked softly. "Never figured you for a babysitter, Max... How did you end up with those four?"

Faal turned his attention from the door where he'd watched the three vanish to look at Maxine as well. "Yes... I'd be interested in knowing as well... I was under the same impression as most... that there would only be one..."

Both brothers turned curious gazes on him at that comment, and then Nate snorted softly. "If yer gonna start goin' on about fae shite, would ye mind if we took off? We can see about getting things set up..."

~ ~

Saffron hadn't particularly cared were he was going, or who saw him, he just wasn't going too sit in that conference room with Shane any longer. If they were trying to go at each others throats, they were locked in a closet some where making out and frankly, Saffron was tired of the being so damned confused! He supposed that's why he was in a shitty mood already, considering before they'd even left the hotel, they'd been hidden in the bathroom, making out...

Matt glanced over to see Saffron wandering down the hall, looking almost as lost as he did pissed off. "Yo kid." he called out, pausing at the top of the stairs. Mike's comment about keeping him and the kid apart only made the urge to irritate the man stronger. "Stairs are the easiest way around this place if you want to avoid people. Not that you go far with a guest pass... Garden on the roof or there's a lounge with a TV on the main floor. I’m headed to the desk and can show you the way...”

Saffron turned at the call, and looked at Matt a long moment, before making up his mind. "Alright," He answered softly, before heading toward him. He tended to avoid people as much as possible, both because of how he looked, and his past, but...that aura of death, was compelling and made him curious.

Matt waited until the kid reached him then started down the stairs. "Hang out in morgue's much?" he asked with a smirk. "Prefer cemeteries myself... hate morgues, personally... but maybe that's from waking up in one when I was a kid."

Saffron watched him as he followed him. "I wasn't hanging out in the morgue, I was there over...over something else. Not that any one would understand." He replied simply. "And I avoid cemeteries."

Matt snorted and glanced at him as they hit the landing and headed down the hall between offices, headed for the reception area. "Why the fuck would you do that? Nothing wrong with cemeteries... quiet, peaceful... usually deserted. As long as you can ignore the spooks, you're find." he said lightly.

Saffron shook his head. "Not really quiet for a death elemental." He said softly with out looking at Matt. "Morgues are even worse, but I had to go anyway." He added, "Some one...wasn't completely dead..."

Matt smirked at that as he approached the doorway. "Vamp? Hope you got it. Vamps tend to piss me off... arrogant bastards... I tend to have too much fun taking them down... it's why Lady Kay tends to avoid sending me after them... I mainly handle spooks and zombies... and vamps if they need to controlled or found but not re-killed."

Saffron shuddered, talk of vampires almost always make him think of LiVed. "No...The soul was trapped and the body wasn't completely dead, a friend...called me into to pull out the soul." Saffron answered softly. "And finish the body."

Matt shuddered lightly at that. "Souls trapped in dead bodies... that's something I avoid." he said softly as they emerged into the lobby and Lucy plucked the phone up and held it out, waving it at him. He sighed heavily. "I need to deal with this shit. Lucy can show you where the lounge is at if you want. And hey... if you can save souls from that... it's worth a trip to the morgue." he added softly.

Saffron snorted softly and looked up at Matt. "If you say so, but just because I can, doesn't mean I like to...and I'm the only death elemental ever with the ability." He said softly. He turned away with that, content to find his own way to the lounge.

Matt took the phone but held up a hand to stop Lucy from connecting him. "Kid... it's not about liking what you do... it's about accepting it and making the best of it. Trust me... I may be one of a kind like you, but Necro's of my caliber are rare... especially those born to it." he said, then heard yelling from the phone and sighed putting it to his ear. "For fucks, sake Awen! I was in a meeting... you're the one who insisted you could handle the kids on your own... what do you mean, they're gone...?" he asked, his irritated tone suddenly vanishing to be replaced by cold. "Then track them... you're a fucking hunter...!"

Saffron paused, looking back at Matt a moment, staring at him, then snorted softly, but didn't reply, turning and disappearing down the hall, lost in his own thoughts for now.

~~
Kay watched the three boys go and smirked softly. "Never figured you for a babysitter, Max... How did you end up with those four?"

Faal turned his attention from the door where he'd watched the three vanish to look at Maxine as well. "Yes... I'd be interested in knowing as well... I was under the same impression as most... that there would only be one..."

Both brothers turned curious gazes on him at that comment, and then Nate snorted softly. "If yer gonna start goin' on about fae shite, would ye mind if we took off? We can see about getting things set up..."

Maxine leaned back in her chair a moment, and then sighed. "I knew the triplets father, so when Saffron was dumped on my doorstep half dead one night, I couldn't very well turn him away. Larkin followed, having been bought and sold in an underground slave market, the same for Vaan. Lexine was found a year or so later on the streets. Rumor has it that their father's dead, but I honestly can't see Auron Mordant as being dead." Maxine said. "All four though are coming from being slaves...Saffron under LiVed...Larkin under Eckhart...Vaan...to any one who bought him and Lexine to Abadon."

The room went quiet at the mention of the name. "He's their father?" Kay asked softly. "You’re certain?"

The brothers exchanged looked and Mike whistled softly, settling back into his chair. "Well now... tha' makes things a wee bit more interestin'..." he said.

"Quite certain. I know who their mother was too," Maxine said, being high ranking Elvin, of course she knew who Lillian had been. "She died giving birth to them. In Hell."

Kay was staring at nothing, obviously lost in thought. Mike cleared his throat. "Kay, luv... would ye like one of us t' give Reggie a call?" he asked and she blinked, turning to look at him.

"Hmm? Oh... yes... I think that would be a good idea." she said then looked back at Maxine. "My daughter, Regan... if Auron Mordant IS their father... than she's their half sister...and family is extremely important to her."

Nate snorted softly and stood. "I got it...  she's likely t' hang up on ye if yer th' one who calls...” he told his brother with a smirk. "She still hasnae fergiven ye fer tha' prank ye pulled on her..."

Maxine raised an eyebrow, but that was about it. "It's been quite awhile since I've heard anything to do with Auron. But as I said, I wouldn't put much stock in the idea of him being dead." She sighed. "I'm sure Lex and Lark will be eager, but Saffron will probably keep his distance...They're twenty two...the magic is said to reverse at twenty four."

Kay raised an eyebrow at that but Faal sighed softly. "Which is why no one could find them... Most of the Order was destroyed... but there are a few left. Why haven't you contacted them? Once the magic breaks, they'll be found quick enough..." he asked.

Nate just looked at them then stood and headed for the door to call Regan. Mike looked like he wanted to join him, but at the same time felt like he should stay with the others. With a last glance at his brother, Nate left the room.

Maxine shook her head. "One, considering LiVed had quiet a lot to do with the death of most of the Order, Saffron's terrified of being found out that way...Apparently the only order member Saffron had come in contact with, betrayed him in that way. Then there's the fact that contacting any of the order, would allow the courts to know and I don't think they're...in any shape to put up with the attention from the courts right now." Maxine added. "Especially Vaan.”

Kay looked from Maxine to Faal then sighed and leaned back. "Anyone care to fill us none fae in on the deal?" she asked lightly.

Faal smirked softly. "In plain English with no 'fae' terms involved... the triplets are known as the Trinity... they are linked with the Seal and the LifeStone... " he said simply before looking back at Maxine. "I could perhaps help... I'm one of the guardians of the ‘phoenix’ stone... I could contact my... brothers." he said, the look he gave Maxine seemed to say a great deal more then his words seemed to, because Mike groaned and stood up.

"Fine... play yer little fae word games... I'll leave so ye buggers can talk over m' head without m' bein' here. Ye fella's care t' come along? We can get ye settled int' one of the offices an' see about hookin' ye up with what ye need.” he said to the three men still seated with Maxine.

Lain smirked. "I'm fae, I understand perfect."

Shane snorted and got up. "Fuck if I do...and I'm a witch." He said, before knocked Lain upside the head. Jay simply followed Shane.

Maxine snorted softly, but turned her attention back to Faal. "To be honest, I'd much rather find their guardians. Including Vaan's, turns out he's connected to the life stone as well. But then he comes from the FirBolg, what's left of the Tuatha De Dannan...the gods..." Maxine said softly.


~~


When Mat hung up the phone he was actually shaking slightly. His sister's bitching and assurances aside, the coincidence of these hunters from Florida showing up after this guy and the kids taking off at the same time rattled him. Awen would do what she could to find them, but apparently they'd had a fight and hooked up with a couple friends of theirs... friends with magical ability which was making it hard on her. She was pretty sure they'd head his way anyhow, so aside from being majorly annoyed, she wasn't that worried. "Fuck."

Saffron hadn't hung around long in the lounge and made his way back to the lobby, which was empty, except for Matt, since Lucy had gone to take care of some files. He watched him for a moment as he hung up the phone. "Problems?" Saffron asked softly.

Matt looked up to see Saffron watching him and snorted softly. "Probably not... Well... Yeah, but probably not as bad as I'm thinking. My baby step sister and my son took off from home... they're the half Were’s that were mentioned... They'll get in shit, no doubt about it... just worried now that it'll be more than they can handle...”

Saffron brushed the black hair out of his face and eyed Matt a moment. "How old are they? Your baby step sister and your son..." He asked softly.

"Misty's sixteen... she looks a bit like you, actually. Taller... the black hairs dyed though... irritates her mother to no end, but I think she doesn’t really mind as long as it’s a 'normal' hair tone." Matt said softly with a smirk. "Rick's fifteen, but he’s just a couple months younger then her... The two of them are complete opposites... they fight constantly... never imagined them teaming up for anything... Well... except for causing shit, and then... that's more Mist's style than Rick's..."

"So this isn't something they normally do then...? I take it...his mother was the Were then...?" Saffron replied softly. He was leaning against the corner of the wall; the boots were starting to bother him; he'd been used to going barefoot for too long...

Matt smirked softly. "No... Actually his father was the Were..." he said. "Turns out I was just the scapegoat, not that I was much of one. And no... this isn't something they normally do. Not together anyhow and not to this extreme... they hooked up with some magic wielding buddies to cover their tracks so my sister couldn't drag them home again."

"Teenagers...I suppose most teens are rebellious..." Saffron said softly, more thoughtful then anything. He’d always figured he would have been...if he'd been a normal teen, but since he'd been a slave...

"Wouldn't know... grew up on the streets so... never had anyone to rebel against." Matt said simply. "Mist has always been quiet and withdrawn, really... normally reserves her trouble making for school. And Rick... well... he doesn’t strike anyone as the 'rebel' type. I mean... One look at him and it's a dead give away he isn't really my kid... he's too.... nice." he finished with a wicked smirk. "Maybe that's why he's pulling this shit... trying to prove he’s bad ass like his dad...”

Saffron snorted softly, shifting his weight, "Should that REALLY be encouraged...? As a father figure I mean, should you really be encouraging rebellious nature..." He replied with something of a smirk, though it never reached his eyes. Rebellion for Saffron had always gotten him severely punished.

Matt smirked softly and folded his arms over his chest, his gaze flicking back to the phone. "Probably not... but then I think it might be good for him. Don’t get me wrong... I'll still give him shit, but... I think he's spent his life trying too hard to be good. A bit of acting out and getting in trouble will do him some good... as long as he doesn’t get carried away." he said then sighed. "Awen seemed to think they'd head this way... don’t see why they would since they know I’d be pissed at them... but..." he shrugged lightly. "With your fury mad scientist out there... I should go try to find them..."

"Would probably be a good idea...I'd hate to think of something happening to them..." Saffron said softly, in a serious tone, his gaze distant for a moment. Yes, he'd been involved in the body of the one victim going missing...because the boy's soul had been trapped and the boy hadn't been completely dead. And Saffron didn't want to ever have to do that again...


~ ~

Mostly Lexine, Larkin and Vaan had settled outside the conference room, against the wall, talking softly among themselves, but they'd jumped when Nate came out, causing all three the blush at being so jumpy.

Nate recovered his surprise at finding the three in the hall. "Sorry... didnae mean t' startle ye." he said softly, his gaze shifting back to the one red head. "Ye don' need t' be hangin' around, ye know... th' reception is down the stairs there and back along th' hall. Lucy or th' ladies can help ye with anything ye need." he said then paused. "Or th' archives are just down the hall here... Th' two of ye are in charge of th' research anyhow... I can show ye in an' get ye settled..." he offered, already starting for the archive door.

Mike waited for Shane and Jay then slipped out into the hall, spotting Nate and the boys. "Hey now... thought ye were callin' Reggie?"

Nate looked over and shot him a glare. "I am... showin' th' lads t' th' archives, then I'll call her. An' ye'd best stop callin' her that or she'll hand ye yer arse again... Ye know she hates it."

Lexine had practically lit up at the mention of the archives; the look on his face was enough to get a soft laugh from Larkin. "The archives are probably the best idea, that way Lexi can feel at home." Larkin said with a smirk. He was by far the more open and easy going of the triplets, mostly from growing up on the streets in Paris. He glanced with Vaan toward the door when Mike came out with Shane and Jay and Larkin noticed Vaan's gaze had gone straight to Mike.

"Ya haven't seen Saff any where have you?" Shane asked them.

Larkin snorted. "Nope. Figure he's found some where dark and quiet." Larkin said. Shane snorted softly, looking off down the hall, and didn't catch Lexine and Larkin's dark looks at him.

Nate swiped his card through the lock and opened the door. "If ye really need him found, just give security a shout... they can tell ye where he is." he said simply. "Lads?" he asked. "Come on in an' I'll see who’s on duty in here t' help ye out."

Mike watched his brother a moment, not failing to notice how his gaze kept slipping towards the one redhead. He snorted, smirking softly before he turned and caught the pale blue eyes watching him and felt a faint blush suddenly stain his cheeks. He smiled softly at Vaan, nodding before clearing his throat. "Come on, lads... I'll find ye an empty office and see ifn I cannae sweet talk one of the secretaries int' lookin' after ye."

Lex and Larkin watched Shane and Jay head off with Mike. Larkin grabbed Vaan's arm, to get his attention back around and Vaan blushed slightly. It wasn't until the other three were out of sight before Lex suddenly hissed. "I swear to gods, if Shane doesn't leave Saffron alone, I'm going to set him on fire."

Larkin and Vaan both looked at Lex a moment, before Larkin laughed softly and gently pushed Lex into the archives after Nate. "The feeling is mutual Lexi," Larkin said, "But Saff is the one allowing Shane to play games with him."

Vaan snorted to that, "He's not letting him, he just doesn't know how to tell him to stop." Vaan said.

~ ~

Matt looked at him moment, a wicked smirk appearing. "Want to come along? Sounds like you know this creep better than anyone, so you can keep an eye out for shit as we look for them." he said, glancing back down the hall towards the stairs as he heard voices. "Sounds like the meeting is over... joy.”

Saffron came away from the wall; he could hear Shane talking and wanted nothing more then to get away from him for a while. "Yeah, I think I will." He replied softly, making sure he was out of sight in case Shane came into view.

Matt smirked, thinking of the shit that his leaving with the kid was going to raise. "Come on then... my car's just out back." he said, slipping a hand behind Saffron's back as he ushered him towards the stairs. "This aversion to cemeteries of yours doesn't extend to hearses, does it?"

Saffron snorted softly, forcing himself not to look back over his shoulder. "No, I don't mind hearses. I suppose I wouldn't mind cemeteries...if they weren't so...hurtful." He said softly, scrunching his nose a moment, not sure how else to explain why he avoided. It was always an overload of feelings assaulting him and some times voices.

He heard some one starting down the stairs and some how knew it was Shane and managed to stifle a yelp, and not hurry out of sight. "Saff!" Shane's voice rang out, half warning, half alarmed.

Matt glanced at the kid beside him at the shout from behind them. "He a problem?" he asked softly.

Saffron bit his lip slightly. He risked a glance back to see Shane was already heading their way. Saffron turned away, "He thinks he's my boyfriend." Saffron answered rather softly, blushing for reasons he'd didn't know. It wasn't entirely true...or maybe it was, he just didn't know any more and made for an escape.

"Saffron!" Shane snapped, to stop him. Saffron started to stop, wincing deeply at the tone.

"Thinks he is, huh?" Matt said softly. "And you'd rather he stopped thinking that?" he asked. "You want me to hurt him? Or just keep him away from you?" he asked, his hand going back to Saffron’s back and ushering him down the last of the stairs to the security lobby. "How about I just get you away from him? Yo... you." he called out to the guard at the desk. "Guy coming down the stairs after us... he's bothering the kid here... keep him busy while I get him out of here, alright?"

The guard raised an eyebrow and looked at Saffron then back at Matt, who hadn't bothered to pause on his way to the door. "Umm... alright...sure...” he said, a bit startled at having Graves 'ask' for something.

Saffron had unconsciously taken a step closer to Matt as they fled, even as he could hear Shane calling for him to come back. "I'd like to avoid him really; I'm tired of the games. Half the time we can't stand each other, the other half..." He sighed, not sure WHY he was telling Matt any of this. "Just part of the trouble over the way I look, I suppose..."

Matt shoved the door open and lead Saffron outside as he heard the security guard inside stalling Shane. "Wow... he actually did it..." he muttered softly with a chuckle. "Must have shocked the sense right out of him by asking..." he said, his eyes sparkling. "Forget him, kid. There's nothing wrong with the way you look. You don’t want him dogging you, kick his fucking ass." he said simply, leading the way along the walkway to the back parking lot.

Saffron blinked, in surprise and looked at Matt. "Nothing wrong with the way I look..." He echoed in disbelief. "I pass better as a girl, then I do a boy and you say there's nothing wrong with the way I look..." He shook his head in wonder. "As for kicking his ass..." He winced openly again.

Matt snorted as he pulled out his keys. "There's nothing wrong with the way you look." he repeated. "I mean... you're cute in a ... young, vamp bait, kinda way..." he said with a slight smirk. "If either of the kids were a bit older, I'd hook you up with one of them... depending on your preference." he said simply. "Since you work for those guys though, I'm assuming you’re at least old enough to be licensed to carry... which means you're too old for either of them... That's my car." he said, pointing to the black hearse with the airbrushed artwork along the sides; scenes from Night of the Living Dead, done in black and white.

Saffron snorted softly, shaking his head again. He smirked a bit, one that did reach his eyes. "Vamp bait...I like that..." He replied softly. "And I told you my preference..." He added softly, blushing again. "I'm barely legal, I'm twenty two...and probably the worst death elemental yet..." The last bit was muttered lower then normal. He turned his eyes on the hearse and a smile came to him slowly, a genuine smile, that actually put a light in his dark eyes. "It's a very nice hearse." He added softly, sincerely, looking at Matt with the smile

Matt unlocked the passenger side door, and then raised an eyebrow. "Twenty two? Hmmp..." he said lightly, letting his gaze slip over him again. "I was thinking a bit younger... closer to nineteen. Guess you're definitely too old for my kid." he said, glancing towards the building to see someone start around the corner towards them. "Hop in, kid... looks like your 'non- boyfriend' managed to loose the guard." he said simply and unlocked his own door before slipping behind the wheel.


~~

Nate found Daniel in the computer lab and dragged him away to introduce him to the boys and make sure he'd look after them, and then found himself rather reluctant to leave. Instead, he helped himself to the desk and its phone, dialing Regan's number while he watched Daniel show Larkin and Vaan how to use the computer system; Lexine, he noticed was already wandering the stacks.

Larkin had a quicker time understand the computer system then Vaan, who decided to go with Lexine and disappeared into the stacks, leaving Larkin to the computer. It was rather known around the offices in Miami that Larkin was something of a genus with computers. He grabbed a pencil, and twisted up his red hair, securing it with the pencil.

"Regan... No... Mike didnae put me up t' callin'... I'm actually callin' fer yer mum. She's still in a meetin'." Nate spoke softly into the phone, his gaze wandering back to the red head at the computer. "Well its no' life an' death or anythin', but we all think ye'd definitely consider it important. No... think I'll save that fer yer mum t' tell ye; I'll just say it involves family an' leave it at that..." Daniel glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow and Nate gave a slight shrug and pointed to the phone in his hand. Daniel rolled his eyes and spoke softly to Larkin before heading back to his desk. "Aye... just come on down when ye get a chance, Reg... ye won't regret it. See ye then." he said and hung up, but still made no move to leave.

Larkin was quick to learn the computer, and leaned back in the chair a moment, glancing toward the stakes when he caught sight of Lexine and Vaan. He smiled faintly, shaking his head slightly. Aware of the feeling of being watched, he turned slightly in the chair, and glanced back toward where Nate was, and blushed, at catching sight of Nate watching him.

At the sight of the blush, Nate stood. "Sorry... didnae mean t' bother ye. Larkin, right?" he asked softly. "I should get goin'... lard knows I've got enough work t' do." he paused. "Um... fergive me fer bein' forward, but... if ye happen t' be free fer dinner tonight... perhaps ye'd care t' join me?"

Larkin blinked, looking back at Nate. "Yus, it's Larkin. Lark for short." He replied softly, "You weren't bothering me... I'm just... a bit shy is all." He said with a faint smile, blushing again. He bit his lip slightly, before looking at Nate again and took a silent breath. "Sure, I'd love to." He heard some one drop a book and glanced in that direction to see Lexine staring at them wide eyed, before hurrying to pick up the book he'd dropped, blushing darkly.

Nate smirked softly, glancing towards the stacks. "Careful with th' books lads! Any damages an' ye'll have t' answer t' Faal... those are his babies!" he called out, his eyes sparkling as he watched Larkin. "Well then... suppose I'll leave ye to yer work." he added softly to Larkin. "I'll look forward t' dinner... are ye stayin' here at th' offices or one o' th' hotels...?"

Larkin snorted softly, catching sight of Lexine already examining the book for any damage, looking anxious over the idea. He knew his brother wouldn't mistreat a book of any type and it'd truly been an accident. He turned back to Nate. "Oh, the Copley Hotel." Larkin answered; Maxine spared no expense, the most expensive hotel in Boston. "Suite 346, with my siblings and Vaan." Larkin added softly.

Nate couldn't help the smile that lit his face. "Alrigh' then, Lark... ifn yer not still here, I'll stop by." he said simply, backing towards the door. "Good huntin'." he said with a wink before he turned and opened the door, heading back out into the hall, feeling oddly light.

~ ~

Vaan broke from Lexine. "There's a garden upstairs." Vaan said. "I'm going up there...I need air...need to stretch my wings..." He told Larkin softly. "Be careful, Vaan." Larkin said simply as he worked at the computer. Vaan smirked faintly and slipped from the archives. Seeing the hall empty for the moment, he hesitated, before stripping off the jacket, letting his wings unfurl and open, and started in the direction he hoped would lead him upstairs.

Mike flipped through the stack of letters Lucy had handed him as he climbed the stairs. The Miami crew had been assigned one of the spare offices and he'd managed to convince one of the secretaries to work for them during their stay. He eyed the envelope bearing the emblem of the private school his daughter attended and groaned softly. "Bloody hell, Tamara... what have ye got up t' now?" he asked softly, his eyes sparkling in good humor despite his words. As he ripped open the envelope he glanced up just in time to avoid running head long into the blue eyes beauty he'd been avoiding staring at earlier. He dodged aside just in time, his gaze taking in the beautiful wings that he'd failed to notice earlier. "Well hello there... sorry fer not looking where I was goin'... yer names Vaan... ?"

Vaan blushed, lowering his eyes, his wings fluttered nervously. "You don't have to apologize...I rather should have been watching where I was going...instead of letting my thoughts wonder..." He replied in a soft spoken voice, glancing briefly at Mike, before lowering his gaze again. "Vaanayla, yes...though...most call me Vaan..." He added. "You introduced yourself as Michael MacDonnell...am I right?"

"Aye... though most call me Mike." he said softly smiling. "Vaanayla... tha's a beautiful name. I don' remember seein' those before..." he said, nodding to the wings. “Why on Earth would ye hide such beauty?" he asked simply, leaning back against the door way, pretty much blocking the stairs unless Vaan wanted to squeeze past him.

Vaan blushed more, glancing at him again. "I was wearing a coat....but I had to stretch them..." HE replied softly. "And...I'm not supposed to have them...but I guess I was never like the rest of my family. Maybe it was why I was the only one left alive...In the Neither world...only females have wings..." He replied softly. It was some times so hard to explain where he came from, and why he was the only one of his kind, in this world.

"Well whether yer supposed t' or not... ye do... an' they look fabulous on ye." Mike said softly. "I'm sorry... I suppose I'm in yer way." he said. "Were ye headin' up t' th' garden t' do tha' wing stretchin'?" he asked playfully. "I'd love t' join ye, but... I'm afraid I have work waitin' fer me... Maybe I can arrange t' slip away later an' join ye out fer a walk or somethin'? "

Vaan blinked, before he actually looked up at Mike, studying him for a moment. "Thank you..." He replied softly about what he'd said about his wings. "And yes...I was going up to the garden..." He hesitated a moment, biting his lip. "And...I wouldn't mind...if you wanted to join me..."

Mike straightened up and slipped out of the doorway, leaving it clear for Vaanayla to go through. "I'd love t'... but like I said... I have work waitin' fer me right now... But since ye wouldnae mind... I suppose I'll see ifn I cannae find ye later on..." he said, his eyes sparkling as he caught hold of Vaan's hand and brought it to his lips, kissing his knuckles playfully. "Maybe I can even interest ye in dinner..."

Vaan blinked, and blushed, but didn't pull his hand away. A soft smile came to him. "I wouldn't mind...dinner with you, I mean...it'd certainly be a first for me..." He replied softly, blushing a bit more, but still smiling softly.

Mike raised an eyebrow, his eyes still sparkling madly. "Ye've never eaten dinner before?" he asked playfully, then chuckled, kissing Vaanayla's hand once more before reluctantly letting go. "Well then... guess I'll just have t' make sure it's a special dinner seein' as how it's yer first." he  said with a smirk. " Enjoy yer stretch, Vaanayla. "I'll see ye later." he added as he sent him a wink and headed back to the conference room to see if that was where he'd left his jacket.

Vaan watched him go, before laughing softly, a sound that was purely musical, before he headed up the stairs, toward the gardens, feeling...happy. He realized it'd been a long time since he'd felt happy, but Mike just seemed to do that.

~  ~